Combined underground and overhead electric railway.



No. 692,974. Patented Fem-u, I902.

D. S. BERGIN.

COMBINED UNDERGROUND AND OVERHEAD ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

(Application filed Mar. 27. 1901.)

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DANIEL S. BERGIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COMBINED UNDERGROUND'AND OVERHEAD ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 692,974, dated February 11, 1902. Application filed March 2'], 1901. Serial No. 53,055. (No model.)

which similar numerals of referencein the d if ferent figures indicate like parts.

The object of my invention is to providea simple and effective means for readily and effectively changing from an overhead to an underground or other system in an electric railway or from an underground or third-rail system to an overhead line without disconnecting or changing the motor, all of which is hereinafter more particularly described, and definitely pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of an electric car, showing my improved means for making electric circuits through the motor from different conductors, said view representing a longitudinal vertical section of an underground conduit and one form of safety-contact sections; and Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view in detail of said conduit, said view being taken upon the line 2 2, Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 1, Fig. 1, represents an ordinary street-railway car mounted upon the usual track-rails 2, beneath which is an underground conduit 3, in which is located a conductor 4, adapted to be charged in the usual way. Vhile the current may be collected directly from said conductor in any approved manner, I have shown what I regard as a preferable safety system, which, however, as it per 36 forms no part of my present invention and as I make no claim thereon, I will describe only in a general way.

Arranged above the conductor 4 are a series of contact-studs 5, held normally out of contact with said conductor by means of springs, (not shown,) which studs are connected with similar guiding-studs 6 6, (shown in plan in Fig. 2,) the latter being attached to cross-bars 7 and extending downwardly through bores in a double-walled casing or cover 8. Movable contact rails or sections 9 are attached to said cross-bars, which are adapted to be depressed by means of a wheeled depressor 10, having wide depressing-wheels 11 11, adapted to engage the successive parallel rail-sections and press them down successively, so as to cause the studs 5 to touch the conductor 4. The depressor is maintained in constant relation to the contact-sections by means of wheels 12, arranged above and beneath the usual slot rail or flange ofthe conduit and is attached to the car by means of rods 13. A collector 14 is provided upon said depressor, which is electrically connected by means of an insulated conductor 15 with a metal hook 16 upon the roof of the car, whichhook is adapted to detachably engage with an ordinary trolley-pole 17 or with the wheel thereon, as may be preferred, to hold said pole down in the position shown. Connected with said pole in the usual way is an insulated conductor 18, leading to one terminal of the motor 19, the other terminal 20 of which leads to the track-rails.

The underground collector may be readily attached to or detached from the car, as well as from the conductor 15,in any approved way.

The operation of my improved device is as follows: Assuming that a transfer is to be made from an overhead to an underground system, the collector is coupled to the car and the trolley-pole drawn down by means of the usual controlling-cord and connected with the hook 16. The circuit is thereby made between the conductor 4, collector l4, conductor 15, trolley-pole, conductor 18, motor 19, and thence to the track-rails. To reverse the conditions, it is only necessary to release the trolley-pole and disconnect the collector 14, when the apparatus is free to be used upon an overhead line in the ordinary way.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a system of the class described, the combination of a motor element, an overhead trolley-pole in permanent electrical connection therewith, a conductor beneath the car, a collector therefor, a conductor leadingfrom said collector to the top of the car and means for detachably connecting said trolley-pole therewith.

2. In an electric railway, the combination of primary and secondary line-conductor systems, one being above and the other below the car, of a motor element, an overhead trolley-pole in electrical connection therewith, a,

collector for said secondary system and means for electrically and detachably connecting the same with said trolley-pole.

3. In a system of the class described, the combination of a conduit having a conductor inclosed therein, an underground collector, a motor, an overhead trolley-pole and means for connecting said underground collector with said trolley-pole. v

4. In a system of the class described, the combination of a conduit having a conductor insulated therein, a series of contact elements inclosed therein and insulated from the walls thereof, said elements being normally out of engagement With said conduct-or, an underground collector, means for causing contact between said contact elements and said conductor, a motor element, an overhead trolleypole and means for electrically connecting said underground collector with said trolleypole, whereby a change may be made at will from an overhead to an underground c011- ductor Without changing the motor-circuit.

5. In a system of the class described the combination of a conduit'having a conductor insulated therein, a series otcontact elements inclosed therein and insulated from the walls thereof, said elements being normally out of engagement with said conductor,

an underground trolley having wheels forspecification, in the presence of two subscrib 45 ing witnesses, this 25th day of March, 1901.

DANIEL S. BERGIN.

\Vitnesses:

D. H. FLETCHER, DWIGHT B. OHEEVER. 

